Copyright & Licensing For Real Estate Photography

I originally created this video to send to my clients, but as I was wrapping up I realized that this information could be beneficial to my peers in the industry because I don’t think that a week goes by where I don’t see a post in one of the Facebook groups talking about licensing of some sort.

I am definitely no expert on the topic but over the years I’ve come to have a very basic understanding of image licensing which has helped me in my own business when it comes to explaining licensing to my clients. The information I share here is essentially my regurgitation of hundreds of different articles I’ve read, videos I’ve watched, conversations I’ve had, and even posts on social media that stood out to me over the years.

Having even just this basic understanding of image licensing has helped me set some clear boundaries for my business and in the eight years I have been shooting real estate and interiors, I have only had to have a licensing conversation two or three times. I am absolutely certain that there are better videos or resources out there that will explain licensing, but nobody has time to search for that information, so I crammed as much as I possibly could in this five-minute video to get you started.

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An important factor not addressed here is that Realtors almost always use the photos on the MLS and the MLS will likely have its own requirements regarding copyright, licensing and ownership. See below for an excerpt from our local MLS rules and regs. Do you have recommendations on how to take this into account?

11.5 Media on the MLS. a) Media is defined as any depiction or expression of works including, but not limited to, photographs, images, drawings, renderings, audio, video, and virtual tours. b) By submitting any media to the MLS, the Participant and Subscriber represent and warrant that they own the right to reproduce and display the media or they have procured such rights and all necessary licenses from appropriate parties. c) The submitting Participant and Subscriber grants CRMLS an irrevocable, unrestricted, transferable, perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive license (with right to sublicense) to use, store, reproduce, compile, display and distribute the media as part of its compilation. d) Use of media by any subsequent Participant and Subscriber requires prior written authorization from the submitting Participant and Subscriber or other appropriate party with the legal right to grant such authorization.

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Inspired by our Shooting Spaces Podcast, we set out to create an online hub where real estate, architectural and interior photographers can find all the resources they need to be successful in business.